


Fall

by detodores (chasingnukes)



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Dramatic, M/M, Major Character Injury, Old work, Pre-Slash, WIP, takes place mid-2014/15 season
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-26
Packaged: 2018-05-12 05:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5653516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingnukes/pseuds/detodores
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(from prompt)<br/>"Messi gets harshly fouled and is stretchered off for tests during a La Liga game. After the game, it gets around that a Real Madrid player has sent the player who tackled Messi a thank you card, since Messi may not be able to play in the next Clasico."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ...Still not complete, even till this day, but I am going to try to get back to this again when I can? Original thread here: http://footballkink2.livejournal.com/10208.html?thread=5858528#t5858528
> 
> This was one of the very first fics I wrote for this fandom, back when I was just getting into football (hard). I quite liked it, despite my awkward-as-usual writing style. 
> 
> Story takes place somewhere mid 2014/15 season, after Neymar recovered from WC, before Luis came on, before Xavi went. Real had signed James, Kroos and Lucas Silva, and Barca got Rakitic and Mathieu on board.

One second everything was going just fine, the next everything went to hell. It was Barcelona's last match before the Clasico, and that was all the commentators could talk about during the game. There was big speculation on whether Real will be able to make a complete comeback from their rocky start of the season, or that Barcelona will dominate the league and defeat Madrid's expensive new squad. All things considered, things were looking quite good for the blaugranas, the not-quite-as-expensive additions of their own were fitting in remarkably well into the team, with Messi and Neymar racking up goals so easily it was irritating.

But one second Lionel Messi was dancing his way around his opponents with the ball glued to his feet, the next he was not. 

The game had been going well, with Barcelona already leading with three goals. All eyes were set on the Argentinian as soon as the ball landed at his feet and the man took off like a trigger pulled. The panicked opposition had swarmed after him, pulled at his shirt, pushed him around, tried to throw him off his inhuman balance. That was when one of the defenders came suddenly towards Messi and a foot connected directly and brutally with Messi's right ankle. 

The sudden chill could practically be felt through the screen. Everyone watched as the man crumbled onto the ground, and did not get up. 

Cries of outrage immediately filled the stadium, nearly blocking out the frantic whistle of the referee pausing the game. The ball was forgotten as Barcelona players came running from all sides towards their fallen teammate. Lionel Messi laid broken, his body tense and face twisted in pain as he clutched his right leg. Enemy players loomed over him, some of which seemed just as shocked as everyone else at the turn of events, until they were shoved out of the way by an entire Barcelona squad. 

The tackle was replayed in slow motion, showing the enemy defender charging forward, cleated foot going for the Argentinian's legs, Messi's ankle bending in a grotesque angle and then a close up of his pain-contorted face pressed into the grass. When the broadcast switched back to what was going on in the field, it was utter chaos. Pique had started an outright fight with the enemy team and Neymar was screaming at the player who attacked his partner, with Iniesta just barely managing to hold the furious Brazilian back. Xavi was in midst the scuffle, trying to pull the everyone apart while a small remainder of the blaugrana stayed around Leo in various degrees of concern. 

A well-deserved red card was raised just about the same time as the medics came running with the stretcher. They hurriedly moved to carry Messi off the pitch, and the conflict finally calmed down. The player who committed the foul was booed by a whole stadium on his way towards the tunnel. Referee called for the match to go on, and everyone slowly started to move back into their positions. Except Neymar who stood frozen, staring in the direction where they stretchered Leo off to, until Alves placed a hand on his shoulder and snapped him out of whatever flashback he was going through. The atmosphere on the pitch had shifted quite dramatically, every Barca player now with tension in their stance and fire in their eyes. 

The ball was kicked once more and the game carried on as usual, Barcelona squad with a huge Messi-sized gap which even the newfound aggressiveness could not make up for. 

Cris did not know how hard he was gripping his can of soda until it started to crack in his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**"Lionel Messi severely injured and will not be able to play in El Clasico! Chance for Real Madrid!"**

 

**"Barcelona may no longer be a threat for Real Madrid, said football analyst."**

  
**"Messi down! Barcelona to fall!"**

****

Then it all reached a new level of crazy when a rumor went around that someone from Real Madrid had sent a thank-you card to the player who tackled Messi.

 

**"Word has it that a Real Madrid player has mailed in a thank-you card to the one who injured Lionel Messi during yesterday's match. Which Blanco could it be?"**

  
**"Red-carded Player receives Thank-You card from Real Madrid after fouling against Messi!"**

  
**"BREAKING NEWS: REAL MADRID SENDS THEIR GRATITUDE TO PLAYER WHO SENT MESSI OUT OF PLAY."**

  
**"REAL MADRID PLAYER THANKFUL FOR INJURED MESSI!"**


	3. Chapter 3

Leo has had more than his fair share of white sterile medical rooms throughout his life, but that does not make him hate them any less. He prefers the fresh colour of green, the smell of grass, sweat and the crisp sound of a football, to the blinding white paint, disinfectant, the distant beep of medical equipment and solemn childhood memories. His injured ankle was really not as serious as everyone was making of it, but the medical staff decided to keep him confined within the facility for further monitoring. His teammates have long since left, after fussing over him, spitting curses at their enemies and sending their best regards. So for the rest of the day, Leo has absolutely nothing to do but to lie down and stare at the ceiling. 

Sure, he was angry at being tackled so violently. It was unnecessary dirty play that his opponents had carried out. But that heat has long since fizzled out, leaving him cold with forlorn sadness. What happened during the match was hardly his fault, but Leo could not help but feel guilty. For not being able to avoid being injured, for...abandoning his team in such an important time for Barcelona. Not that he does not have faith in his teammates, no, but deep down he knew that it will be more difficult for them with him potentially out of play. Now, everyone will be expecting the team to fail. A great pressure has been thrown onto the entire squad, without Leo there to bear the weight with them. 

Sometimes Leo hated his own influence, the fact he can cause all this pressure for his team. If he was any other player who got sent out of play, no one would have even bat an eye. But he was Lionel Messi, and with it came a weight that stacked up with every goal he scored and every award he won. Everyone called him the strength of Barcelona, when really sometimes Leo felt that he was a liability. Sometimes, sometimes he... 

...really shouldn't be left alone with his thoughts like this. 

Snatching up the remote, Leo turned on the overhead television. The screen flickered into life, and he immediately wanted to switch it back off. All of them were talking about his unfortunate incident on Tuesday, shamelessly replaying the video of him being tackled and falling down over and over in every angle, debating endlessly on how him being injured it will affect Barcelona's performance, or how it will suffer, namely, against Real Madrid in the big Clasico. 

The cast on Leo's leg felt uncomfortably heavy. 

He had heard about the "thank you card" rumor that was spreading like wildfire among the media, and not for the first time Leo was filled with unbearable bitterness at the world surrounding sport he loved. To the rest of the world, football players were not people, but more like characters on a stage. Performance is all they care about. Everyone cheers at a good show, scoff when someone stumbles and laugh when they fall. They all seem to be so inhuman, but Leo had long since learned to ignore that for the sake of the game. He had had a great amount of respect for the players at Real Madrid, despite their rivalry. Apparently the feeling was not mutual. Leo did not know if he should be more disturbed by the amoral gesture made at his expanse, or the fact that a rival player had actively wished harm on him.

He blocked the voices out as he tapped rapidly on the remote, trying to find one channel that was not talking about Barcelona and Leo Messi and his injury and the gossip. In an ironic twist of fate, Leo settled for the live broadcast of a Real Madrid press conference. At least they seem to be focused on talking about their own squad at the moment. He stared blankly at Cristiano Ronaldo's face covering the screen, as the man answered questions about their team chemistry with that well-practiced confidence and an irrational, dark part of Leo wanted to say "Are you happy now with me out of the way?" 

Even though he knew enough from their brief encounters that Ronaldo is not at all his persona when off the pitch, and definitely not the kind of person to send out something as distasteful as a thank-you card, he also knew well enough how competitive Ronaldo is. Leo rubbed his face with one hand and threw his head back onto the pillow, not wanting to catch the hidden smugness behind all of their plastic smiles. 

Audio from the broadcast filled the small sterile room, but Leo was hearing nothing but static, up until one of the journalists mentioned his name in a question, that sounded eerily similar to what was in Leo's head a while ago. Leo snapped his head back towards the screen just in time to see Ronaldo's expression completely freeze before asking for the journalist to repeat what she said.

"Are you happy that Lionel Messi might not play in El Clasico with his current injury? What are your thoughts?"

It was asked in such a disgustingly cheerful and excited way it made Leo sick. But he wanted to know. He tensely watched, when Ronaldo closed his eyes for a brief moment, turning away from the mic to press a finger down the bridge of his nose, as if contemplating on how he should respond. When Ronaldo turned back towards the eager press, he spoke as if he was a completely different person. What followed was something Leo will never forget hearing for the rest of his life.

"Alright, listen here," Cristiano began in a deeper tone than normal, ignoring the immediate flurry of camera lights, "I would never wish for another player to get hurt, no matter what kind of rivalry we have between us. I know there has been a rumor that one of my teammates has given a thank you card to the guy who tackled Messi and I want to make it clear that in no way does he represent the feelings of everyone in Real Madrid towards the incident. It was an inhumane and disrespectful thing that my colleague has done, and I do not stand for it. What happened on Tuesday to a great fellow player like Messi was unfortunate, and I think my colleague should feel sorry for even wishing that on another human being."

The tall man then leaned back in his chair and glared at everyone in the room, "And quite honestly I think you should all be ashamed of yourselves for sharing the same, sadistic mindset as him. No one should be happy or be excited to see someone get hurt, ever. We're not savages, we're people. Act like people.

"Those are my thoughts," Cristiano finished by giving the stunned press a tight-lipped smile that reached nowhere near his eyes, "and if there is nothing else, I think we're done here."

With that, the Portuguese stood up from his seat and headed straight towards the exit. The press sprang back to life in an onslaught of white flashes, shouting hysterically as they followed Cristiano to the doorway. 

Leo did not realise he was holding his breath until his lungs started to burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *  
> So....what actually happened was, back then I was a good halfway into the 3rd chapter when my hard disk crashed. I absolutely hated rewriting things once I've already gotten them down, because I feel it just won't be of the same quality at all, so I basically rage quitted.
> 
> ._.
> 
> But I'm willing to start writing it in again. Not anytime soon, but it's definitely on my list. Curse you, academic priorities!


End file.
